Archived Fishing Report

Dave Stewart's Fishing Report

Written by Dave Stewart |
Originally published 07/28/2005

Kentucky Lake: Water Level at Ky Dam - 357.65 Surface Temperature - 87
Lake Barkley: Water Level at Barkley Dam - 357.75 Surface Temperature - 87
Both lakes are just under one foot below summer pool and expected remain so for next few days. A cold front came through the lakes area yesterday and cooled things down finally after all the heat and humidity we have experienced over the past couple of weeks. Although temperatures will be near 90 this weekend the humidity is supposed to remain low so fishing should be a lot more comfortable for the coming weekend.
The Largemouth Bass are being taken early and late in the day in the bays on secondary points near vegetation and wood cover. These fish are feeding on schools of fry and are taking some topwater, shallow and medium running crankbaits and Texas rigged tubes and creature baits. During the day Largemouth are being taken on the humps and ledges on the main lake and near the mouths of the deeper bays. The bite is good when there is current running but slow when there is a lack of current. These deepwater fish are being taken on deep diving crankbaits, Carolina rigged large worms and creature baits and slack lined jigs. Largemouth are being taken at night on main lake points and secondary points in the bays on spinnerbaits, Texas rigged tubes and jigs.
The Smallmouth Bass are being taken early and late in the day on rocky main lake points and secondary points in the bays on Texas rigged tubes. They are being taken during the day on deep river ledges on Carolina rigged creature baits. The night fishing for Smallmouth has not been as good this week as it was earlier in the month but we are still managing to catch some by fishing on rocky main lake points and secondary points in the bays using spinnerbaits, Texas rigged tubes and jigs. Normally the night Smallmouth bite is very good in August so this slight dip in productivity should be short lived.
Some of the productive lures reported this week are: Rebel Pop R in black/chrome, Bandit crankbaits in rootbeer/chartruese, craw/chartruese and blue/chartruese, Zoom brush hogs in watermelon/candy and junebug, Hook Some Bass baby brush hounds in watermelon/purple, Hook Some Bass tubes in chameleon craw, Hoppy spinnerbaits in black/purple, black/red and black/blue (night lures).
The White Bass are very active and a good number of jumps are being reported on the flats just off the river ledges. These fish are being taken by vertically jigging inline spinners and spoons on the river ledges and by casting into the surfacing schools.
The Bluegill are being taken near vegetation early and late in the day near the backs of the flats in the bays as well as around deep docks and along deep rocky creek channel banks during the day. These fish are being taken on worms and crickets fished under bobbers.
The Catfish are being taken along the main river channels on bottom rigs baited with shrimp and leeches.

More Kentucky Lake Fishing Reports

Now That You're 'Hooked' on Fishing... Come See Us!

If you've dug this deep in our Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley
fishing reports, you are probably just itching to come down and
visit the South's biggest lakes. Get started by finding
that perfect place to stay! Find a
Kentucky Lake cabin
or a Lake Barkley
campground, a full-service
resort or a
marina. Heck,
there are even dozens of
hotels off
the water to choose from!

Don't have a boat? No worries! Bank fishing is
always an option for panfish. But if you're heart is set on
largemouth or smallmouth, you can
rent a
fishing boat at many of our local
resorts!

Kentucky Lake, Lake Barkley, and Land Between The Lakes offer a unique vacation experience for everyone! Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley collectively is the largest body of water between the Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. Here you can enjoy fishing, boating, hunting, eating at great restaurants, and experiencing the numerous attractions of the Land Between The Lakes. The region is located just eight hours from Chicago, three hours from St. Louis and six hours west of the
Smoky Mountains.

Take A Kid Fishing

Photo by Shawn Dunnaway

These boys had a blast bank fishing on Kentucky Lake. Take your kids on a fishing trip to Kentucky Lake and Lake Barkley!